Ex-Apple GC Back To Bingham, Going To Teach His Firm How To Deal With Clients

No BigLaw lawyer would say it in public, but the truth is most of them think that their clients work way less and have less stress than they do. As we mentioned the other day, what would be the point of going in-house if you didn’t see a reduction in your hours and a vast improvement in your lifestyle?

But even the most jaded outside counsel can admit general counsels have a lot on their plates — they increasingly sit in on all the big-shot meetings while overseeing what is often dozens (if not hundreds, depending on the company) of cases pending simultaneously in districts everywhere.

We were often surprised to talk to upper-echelon in-house counsel and have to remind them of the facts of the case were were talking about, even when it was multi-million dollar litigation.

That is totally normal, former Apple (2008-2009) and Oracle GC Daniel Cooperman said, and he’s planning to help his new colleagues understand that fact. Cooperman is joining Bingham’s Silicon Valley office.

WSJ Bits blog: “They move from one matter to the next in alarming, breathtaking speed. You don’t have a great deal of mindshare,” said Mr. Cooperman, adding that part of his role would be to help his firm better understand its clients–even if it’s something as small as learning not to be offended when clients hang up the phone abruptly.

Bingham is a homecoming (sort of) for Cooperman — he was a partner at McCutchen prior to joining Oracle, and prior to the firm’s merger with Bingham.

When he left Apple, Bits notes, he said he was retiring, but turns out he just needed a break. Now it’s back to the M&A life.

Will any of his compatriots really believe him? In theory, yes. When they are sitting in their offices at 3 am working? Not so much.

The ABA Journal pointed this one out — we missed it on Bits yesterday.